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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28870608">TSSM Day 23</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeDefinitely404/pseuds/MaybeDefinitely404'>MaybeDefinitely404</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmate September [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coffee, Food, M/M, homophobia mentions, just so much caffeine, kidnapping mention</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:47:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28870608</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaybeDefinitely404/pseuds/MaybeDefinitely404</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>At a certain age you switch bodies with your soulmate.</p><p>Janus wakes up somewhere he can't recognize in the body of somebody he doesn't know, and all he wants to do is change back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders &amp; Deceit | Janus Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmate September [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116602</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>TSSM Day 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Janus noticed when he woke up was that this was wrong. Very, very wrong.</p><p>Which, to be fair, was an accurate reaction, seeing as he was in the wrong room.</p><p>His initial thought was that he’d been kidnapped, but no, that couldn’t be right. It was just another bedroom, not a basement or a van or whatever kidnappers used. It was a regular, teenage looking bedroom, with clothes littering the floor and the desk, large posters haphazardly stuck at every angle on the wall, and a phone charging on the nightstand next to him. So, definitely not a kidnapping. </p><p>When his mind finally cleared from his post-waking haze, he sighed in resignation. Apparently the universe had decided that today was the day he would switch bodies with his soulmate, on the day he had specifically set aside to study for a huge biology test that would make or break his grade in the class. Hopefully the school took pity on him and let him redo it. If they believed him, that is… he wasn’t exactly the most honest student.</p><p>Groaning, he threw the blankets off him and stumbled to the full body mirror on the door, inspecting the reflection. His soulmate was cute, he’d give him that, but it did nothing to disperse the internal confusion at seeing someone else looking back at him in the mirror. It also felt super weird to be attracted to… well, himself, at the moment, technically? He pushed a strand of white hair, dyed lighter than the rest of the black locks, out of his face and leaned forward, trying to decipher if the eye color was brown or murky green, when the door flew open and hit him in the face.</p><p>He yelped upon hitting the floor, rubbing his forehead, and glaring up at the intruder.</p><p>“Who the hell are you?” He hissed before he could stop himself, meeting the eyes of a very confused guy standing in the doorway. Blinking, he looked back into the mirror, and then back to the newcomer, wondering for a second if he was hallucinating. It took him far too long to remember the concept of twins, mentally facepalming as the other spoke.</p><p>“What do you mean, who the hell am I? Really, not one of your best pranks, Remus.”</p><p>“I’m not pranking you. I’m not Remus.”</p><p>The other merely blinked, staring at him blankly, until a look of realization crossed his face. “Oooohh! You’re his-”</p><p>“Yeah,” Janus snarked, getting back to his feet, “I am. Who are you?”</p><p>“Uhm, I’m Roman. Your- I mean, his brother. Remus’ brother. What’s your name?”</p><p>He brushed nonexistent dirt off his pajama top, an old and ripped oversized t-shirt, and responded, “Janus.”</p><p>“Janice? Huh,” Roman wrinkled his brow, casting a look behind him before stepping in and closing the door behind him, “I could have sworn Remus was gay.”</p><p>“I’m not a girl, you deflated airbag. I’m named after a Roman god, and I am <em>very much</em> male.”</p><p>Roman was at a loss for words, watching Janus approach Remus’ closet and look through it scrutinizingly. “He has good taste.”</p><p>“That’s what you call good taste?” The brother asked, peering over his shoulder at the chaos of ripped cloth and mesh and leather. He was frankly shocked there was any left in the closet, seeing as there was what appeared to be enough for a whole other wardrobe on the floor.</p><p>“I wouldn’t personally wear it. I’m more classy than that. But,” He picked out a weathered jean vest, adorned with pins and spikes, “Hot.”</p><p>Roman tried to hide his eye roll. “You’ll get along with him well. I came up to get you- er, Remus, but now you, I guess. For breakfast.”</p><p>Right on time, a woman’s voice carried up through the house, calling for them. Janus shrugged and followed Roman out the door, abandoning his discovery on a chair and pulling up the first hoodie from the floor. He didn’t generally like to wear oversized things, so he was surprised that the almost blanket-like garment was so comfortable. </p><p>“Ah, took you long enough. It’s getting cold.” Janus took in the downstairs area, a small kitchen and dining room in one, leading off into a living room. It was all comfortable, the sunshine raging through the picture window on the wall closest to the table, highlighting the steam rising off the food. </p><p>Janus stood at the bottom of the stairs as Roman took his seat opposite his parents, gesturing to the seat next to him.</p><p>“Remus, sweetie, everything okay?”</p><p>For a solid second, he forgot that <em>he</em> was supposed to be Remus and just stared blankly at the woman who had spoken. </p><p>“That’s not Remus. It’s his soulmate.” Roman said absently around a bite of food.</p><p>Their mother’s expression turned to delight, standing up immediately and engulfing Janus in a hug that he didn’t return, “Oh, welcome, darling! It’s so nice to meet you! Join us for breakfast, and you can go about contacting Remus later. Sound good?”</p><p>“I guess.” He didn’t seem to have a choice either way as he was ushered to sit next to Roman, his plate pushed a little closer to him by the mom. The dad was just taking him in, chewing slowly, and everything in Janus was yelling at him to look away. But Janus was never one to shy away from a stare off, so he kept eye contact, hoping that Remus had the same glare that his own face did. He must have, since the man finally looked back down to his plate.</p><p>“What’s your name, sweetie?” Jeez, did this woman always have to use pet names? </p><p>“Janus.” He responded simply, pulling in his first bite of food. It was good, he’d admit, but his own house never had these kinds of… family get-togethers, and to say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. </p><p>“Janice? Huh, must be weird being in a boy’s body, yeah?” Her face clearly conveyed that it was supposed to be a joke, or maybe some fucked up icebreaker, but he was more annoyed by his name. </p><p>“I’m actually-” He was cut off by a sharp kick to the shin, coughing slightly to stifle a curse, and turned to Roman expectantly. The glare out of the corner of his eyes was something Janus wasn’t anticipating, same with the almost imperceivable shake of his head. The message was clear. Forcing a small smile on his face, he turned back to the parents, who were still wholly focused on him. “Yeah, it’s weird for sure.” </p><p>Usually, lies slipped off his tongue with no hesitation. He had to learn to survive, growing up as he had. But this one felt wrong, and so utterly bizarre, that it seemed to burn the roof of his mouth. If that’s what it took though, and he was very sure that Roman’s cutting him off had been to prevent outing Remus, he could take that.</p><p>The rest of the meal was filled with small talk between him and the parents, in which he learned that he wasn’t all too far from his own house, where Remus would be waking up. Even so, he didn’t recognize the neighborhood he was in. It was definitely nicer than from where he lived, though, and he doubted that Remus would know where he was either. Poor guy. </p><p>As soon as it seemed socially accepted to leave the table, he did so, loading his dishes into the washer and dashing upstairs. It was only nine in the morning and he was exhausted, dropping onto the bed and noticing the little glow in the dark dinosaurs on the ceiling for the first time. Rather, the remains of glow in the dark dinosaurs. Remus must have taken scissors to them, separating the heads and attaching them to different bodies. He was specifically entranced by a T-Rex with a Pterodactyl head when Remus’ mother’s words flooded back into his mind, and he remembered that he should probably try to get into contact with Remus. One look at the phone on the nightstand, though, and he was getting up with a groan and padding down the hallway. </p><p>It wasn’t hard to distinguish Roman’s room from the other doors; it was the only one with his headshot taped to the front with a star under it, his name written in bold letters across it like a Hollywood star. Janus rolled his eyes and knocked on it, walking in at Roman’s call.</p><p>“Can I use your phone?”</p><p>“Why?” Roman gave him a hard side eye from where he was splayed across his bed, a script in his hands that he was most likely trying to memorize. </p><p>“I want to call Remus. And unless you know the password to his phone, I can’t get on it.”</p><p>“Ah. In full honesty, I don’t even <em>want</em> to know what the cretin has for a password.” With no further convincing, he handed Janus his unlocked phone and went back to scanning the papers, quietly muttering lines to himself while giving Janus the occasion glance. </p><p>He typed in his own number and held the phone to his ear.</p><p>
  <em>“Hello?”</em>
</p><p>“It’s odd hearing my own voice through the phone,” were Janus’ first words to his soulmate. The voice on the other line, his voice, gasped. </p><p>
  <em>“Oh shit! Ooooh shit! I would have called, but I couldn’t remember my own number!”</em>
</p><p>“That’s Remus for you.”</p><p>“Stop eavesdropping,” Janus snarled, taking a step away.</p><p>“If it’s loud enough to hear, is it really eavesdropping?”</p><p>Janus lowered the volume of the phone in response, flipping Roman off. “Hi, Remus, I presume.”</p><p>
  <em>“I see you’ve met Roman. Pain in the ass, huh?”</em>
</p><p>“You could say that.”</p><p>
  <em>“Okay, first things first. You’re hella hot.”</em>
</p><p>“I’m flattered.”</p><p>
  <em>“Second, where am I?”</em>
</p><p>Janus chuckled, which sounded odd coming from vocal chords he wasn’t used to. “About twenty minutes away from your house. Did you want to meet somewhere to switch back?”</p><p>
  <em>“Fuck yes. I want my teeth back.”</em>
</p><p>“Your-” Janus ran his tongue along his teeth, noticing for the first time that they felt different than what he was used to. The general shape, the curve, it was all new, and odd, and suddenly it was <em>all</em> he could think about. “Why the hell did you have to say that?”</p><p>Remus snickered, <em>“Whoopsies.”</em></p><p>“How about Edison’s Bakery, on Westland? It’s pretty much in the middle.”</p><p>Roman gave him a thumbs up, mouthing ‘good choice’, at the same time as Remus almost squealed in glee. Apparently, he liked the place. </p><p>“I’ll take that as a yes. In half an hour?”</p><p>
  <em>“Yessss.”</em>
</p><p>“Before you hang up, what’s your phone password?” He physically recoiled at the response, earning a snort from Roman. “I’m not typing that.”</p><p>
  <em>“That’s the only way you’re getting into my phone.”</em>
</p><p>“Hold on, how did you get into <em>mine</em>?” Remus only chuckled, and the line went dead. Janus sighed and tossed Roman his phone back, hitting him squarely in the chest. “Not much of a conversationalist, is he?”</p><p>“Remus abides to the laws of social constructs about as well as he abides to the laws of nature. That is to say, not at all.” </p><p>“What should I wear? When I go to meet him?”</p><p>Roman looked taken aback. It made him scowl in embarrassment, rolling his eyes at the other’s face. </p><p>“I don’t know what Remus likes to wear, dumbass. Don’t get a big head.”</p><p>“Uh, the ripped grey jeans with the patch on the thigh and Green Day shirt are his favorite. He usually wears something meshy underneath, but-”</p><p>“I’m not wearing mesh.”</p><p>“Figured.”</p><p>Like all of Remus’ clothing, Janus learned very quickly, the Green Day shirt was also full of holes. Whether his closet had been raided by moths, or it was just his aesthetic, he didn’t know. He could see why mesh would go well under it, but there was no way he would stoop to that level, so he threw on the jean vest he’d first seen and went back to Roman’s room to get approved. </p><p>Deciding against seeing the parents again (Janus didn’t understand his instinctual hatred for them, but it was strong), he scaled the drainpipe outside Remus’ window and used his soulmate’s phone for directions to the cafe (despite the disgust he felt at typing in the password), since he still didn’t know the exact directions from this strange neighbourhood.  After deciphering the bus map, he hopped on the next one to arrive, grateful that he’d found enough spare change in Remus’ horribly unorganized wallet for bus fare. </p><p>Surprisingly, he wasn’t nervous by the time he got to the cafe. He’d have thought his nerves would have eaten at him already, telling him to just turn around and live as Remus for the rest of his life, but they were surprisingly calm. There was just something about meeting a soulmate that didn’t mess with him. They were <em>soulmates;</em> they were kind of supposed to be perfect for each other. That’s the whole point. </p><p>It didn’t take long for him to spot himself in the almost empty bakery, propped up against the large window in a way he would never stand, tracing the patterns on the ceiling with his eyes. Janus sidled up to him- himself? The concept was enough to make his head spin- and, ignoring the slightly Inception-esque nausea of looking at his own body, smirked.</p><p>“You’re getting fingerprints all over the glass.”</p><p>Remus spun to him, grinning widely, and without further adieu, grabbed his hand. Janus’ vision tunneled before going completely black. A sound like an intense air rush overwhelmed him despite the fact that there was no wind, his ears popped almost painfully, and his mouth went completely dry, but when he opened his eyes again, he was staring back at Remus. Actually Remus. In his own body and everything.</p><p>“Oh, my teeth, how I missed you,” The taller crooned, making a show of running his tongue across the outside of his teeth.</p><p>“You’re odd.” Never before had Janus been so happy to hear his voice.</p><p>“That I am,” Remus said with too wide a grin, tilting his head to the counter. “I waited for you.”</p><p>“Glad you had the decency.”</p><p>“C’mon, Jay,” He tightened his grip on Janus’ hand, who was surprisingly okay with the nickname (despite having punched people for using it before), “I love their energy drinks.”</p><p>“Their <em>what</em>?” Janus had been going here since he was a little kid, and he knew for a fact they didn’t have energy drinks. The overtired barista heard him though, shooting him a look of pure disdain.</p><p>“That’s what <em>he</em> calls it. <em>We</em> like to call it the Abomination unto God. I don’t know how his heart doesn’t give out from it. One pump of every flavor, five shots of espresso, top it off with black coffee.”</p><p>“Is that <em>legal</em>?” Janus asked incredulously.</p><p>“Technically, I just ask for how many espresso shots they can fit in a cup. She was the one to limit it to five.”</p><p>“He asked a trainee on their first day working. They filled the whole cup with espresso.”</p><p>“I was vibrating.” Remus said dreamily, as if the memory was particularly fond. Despite Janus’ protests, Remus ordered his monstrosity of a drink, pouring <em>at least </em>three sugar packets into the cup to his rising horror, and sat down happily. It was almost enough to make him not want his coffee anymore, watching his soulmate take a long glug of the sludge in his cup.</p><p>“So, Janus,” He said when he finally put the half empty cup back onto the table, “How did you find my family?”</p><p>Somehow, Janus could sense the underlying question, taking a sip before responding. “They’re fine. Your parents rub me the wrong way, so to speak, and Roman’s a bit of a prick, but they’re fine.” He watched as Remus tossed his cup back again, fiddling with the sleeve on his cup, “I didn’t out you, by the way.”</p><p>That was enough to dampen the mood, Remus suddenly looking sullen as he stared at his hands. He blinked rapidly, taking a shaky breath before responding with a quiet thank you.</p><p>“They think I’m a girl. So that sucks.”</p><p>“They’re homophobic as shit.”</p><p>“I figured that out. Is Roman-”</p><p>“Gay as they come.”</p><p>Janus swirled his drink in his cup, watching the coffee stain the edges. “What will happen if they find out?”</p><p>“I don’t want to think about that. Getting disowned, at best.”</p><p>They both went silent, almost in solidarity. What could you say to that?</p><p>“Do you live alone?” Remus asked out of the blue, drinking more and having the audacity to chew the sugar from the bottom of the cup. </p><p>“My mom’s out of town for work right now.”</p><p>“Dad?”</p><p>“Never knew him.”</p><p>“Shit.”</p><p>“That about sums it up.” The two of them chuckled. </p><p>“So…” Remus started, finishing his concoction and throwing the cup into the garbage can by the sugar station, startling the barista. “We’re soulmates.”</p><p>“What led you to that conclusion?” He deadpanned, watching Remus as he took a slow sip of his coffee. </p><p>“Hardy har har.”</p><p>“Yes, we’re soulmates,” Janus agreed, “Must we make it complicated?”</p><p>“Eh,” The other said with a shrug, “Ride with the tide, see where it goes?”</p><p>“Works for me.” As Janus finished off the last of his coffee, he could see Remus’ hands had started to shake violently on the table, and could feel his leg bouncing up a storm underneath it.</p><p>“C’mon, get up,” Janus laughed, pulling Remus to his (somewhat unsteady) feet, “Let’s go to the park and get your energy out. Hopefully I can get you home before you crash.”</p><p>“Aww, you <em>do</em> care.” Remus cooed, laying his head on Janus’ shoulder as they left the shop.</p><p>“I believe that’s the point, dumbass. Now, I’ll race you to the park. Three, two, one, go!”</p><p>Remus took off at a full caffeine-induced sprint to the park just down the street as Janus continued his leisurely pace, laughing the further Remus got without realizing he wasn’t following. What had he gotten himself into?</p><p>Nothing he didn’t want, that was for sure.</p>
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